‘I’ve never heard of them.’
‘Oh, they’re a lovely breed. Friendly, happy, really a man’s best friend. You’ll hardly notice he’s here.’ Suddenly she sounded like an infomercial for Portuguese Water Dogs. No wonder Adam was biting down a laugh.
‘Why do I think you’re full of shit?’
Because she was? ‘Honestly, he’s as good as gold. It’s only for a little while, I promise he won’t be any trouble.’
‘If I take him, and I mean if, then you’ll owe me.’
She nodded rapidly. ‘Of course.’
‘So I get to ask for something in return.’ He didn’t say it as a question. The tone of his voice – low and gravelly – sent shivers down her spine.
‘You do?’
‘Yeah,’ he said slowly. ‘I do.’
Her heart was beating annoyingly fast. When she finally found the words to reply, her voice was thick with anticipation. ‘What do you want me to do?’ Was it wrong that she had bad thoughts of her own?
Adam stared at her, the tip of his tongue running along his full lips. Kitty watched its progress, fascinated, trying to ignore the way he took her breath away. He didn’t reply for at least a minute, preferring to look at her as if he was sizing her up,
or maybe considering her fate. It was both tantalising and terrifying.
‘I don’t know yet, I need to think about it,’ he said finally. ‘I’ll tell you when I’ve decided.’
Excited by the realisation she’d solved the puppy problem, yet shocked by his bargaining, Kitty found herself nodding, still unable to tear her eyes away from his. The thought of having to do whatever Adam asked of her was enough to send shivers of anticipation shooting down through her spine.
The puppy was curled up in the makeshift bed Adam had put together – a wooden box lined with blankets and pillows. He snored softly, his tiny body rising up and down with each breath, the occasional shudder interrupting the rhythm of his sleep. Adam stared out of the window, looking at the path Kitty had made in the snow as she walked back to the big house, wondering if he should have insisted on walking her back there, rather than letting her go alone.
Not that there were any dangers between here and the big house, unless you counted the lake. But she had a habit of attracting trouble – from a deer in the road, to a puppy in her arms – and he wouldn’t put it past her to make heavy work of the journey back.
The puppy gave a little yap, then shuffled in the box, curling up like a cat. Adam glanced at him, still trying to take in the fact he’d actually agreed to look after the mutt. It wasn’t like him to acquiesce quite so easily.
He was doing it for Jonas, he reminded himself. For his nephew. The poor kid deserved a surprise on Christmas Day, he had to put up with enough shit the rest of the year. It wasn’t Kitty’s pretty smile or big blue eyes that made him agree to this arrangement, no, it was his need to make his nephew happy.
So why was it that when he climbed into his soft, queen-size bed, pulling the blankets over his strong body, all he could think about was her? The way she’d smiled at him as he petted the dog, the way she’d drunk the beer as though she’d never tasted anything better. The way she’d thanked him softly before she left, leaning down to stroke the puppy one more time, her expression warm and open.
He closed his eyes, tossing and turning in the bed until the covers were all twisted on his body. From the living area he could still hear the dog – for such a small animal he knew how to make a lot of noise, even when he was asleep.
He’d been living here for too long, that was the problem. When there was nothing in your life except snow, running and the occasional bit of woodwork, a pretty girl arriving in town took on a meaning it never would have before. She was only here for a few weeks, he just had to get through them, and then everything would go back to normal.
Whatever the hell normal meant.
11
Thou knowest, winter tames man,
woman and beast
– The Taming of the Shrew
‘Hey.’ Adam gave her a nod as he opened the door. ‘Sorry it took me a while, your dog’s just crapped all over the cabin floor.’
It wasn’t the welcome Kitty had expected. She was standing at the front door to the lodge, wrapped warmly in her Michelin-man ski jacket and insulated trousers, dusting the thin layer of snow from her hat. Before Adam had opened the front door she’d been staring at the lintel, thinking it would be perfect for a large bunch of mistletoe. The luscious green leaves and pale white berries would look beautiful against the dark wood of the building.
She could tell he wasn’t exaggerating from the stench that hit her as soon as he pulled the door open. For a small puppy, that dog really knew how to make himself known.
‘Oh goodness, I’m so sorry,’ she said, grimacing at the pile of crap the puppy had deposited on Adam’s gleaming tiles. ‘Where’s your cleaning stuff? I’ll get rid of it now.’ She quickly shed her outer layer of quilted warmth, revealing tight black leggings and a thick woollen sweater, hanging her coat on the hooks next to the door.